Saturday, September 13, 2008

More Birds - By Jerry, of Course

Hummer at the feeder.

The other day I saw the most amazing behavior: 2 hummers were trying to kill each other. Yep, that's what it looked like to me. One staked out a tree limb and waited for the other to come to the feeder and then ZOOM, down he whirred and BAM smacked into the other's chest hard!! I was standing right in front of the feeder and they were too busy in combat to pay any attention to me. This kept on for a while and then, finally, they both flew down to the ground and, I swear, they were rolling around on the ground together!! They were both males and they were both angry, territorial, mean little things.

So much for the angelic beauty of these hummers. Now this one here is a female (no red throat) and she did come around, timidly, that day, keeping an eye out.

This is a young grackle. They are obnoxiously loud and boisterous things, travelling in packs, trying to eat all the food at the feeders and chase off everyone else. Jerry doesn't like them. But I do like their irridescent colors.

I began my journey with watercolor painting in April 2003, taking weekly lessons for six years before I realized I needed to move on to explore on my own.

I admire the work of so many artists; my sidebar is full of artists who inspire me every day. I also love the freedom of Shirley Trevena, the delicate touch of Ted Nuttall and Hazel Soan, and the power of Mary Whyte. I enjoy visiting art blogs, reading art magazines and watching art DVDs to further my art education and to simply enjoy the beauty that is being created around the world in watermedia these days.

"If you have a burning desire to create art, you will lean into the flame of that desire, rather than shy away from it. You may get burned, or you may enjoy the glowing warmth of success. Whatever the outcome, you will not be able to withstand the pull to create something meaningful, beautiful, and lasting."